Being in the market for a Plex server and running low on patience and spare hardware I have been sniffing around NAS servers, which is why you are now reading about the ASUSTOR AS5002T. Missing Remote just picked this NAS up for review, powered by a dual core Celeron J1800 clocked at 2.4GHz instead of an ARM processor. The reason that matters is the inclusion of Intel HD Graphics onboard for real time encoding when streaming to remote devices. On the other hand it is not the most modern of processors and the AS5002T also showed some peculiarity with drive sizes. The processor is not going to be able to push 4k over some interfaces but HDMI 1.4a, IR control capability and broad support for the usual selection of HTPC programs does make this NAS a good fit for many. Read the full review to get a better idea of the capabilities of the ASUSTOR AS5002T.

"The ASUSTOR AS5002T is the first Intel based network attached storage (NAS) device tested at Missing Remote. So, I was very curious to see how its dual-core 2.4GHz Celeron J1800 would stack up against the strong showing we’ve seen from ARM Cortex-A15 based systems recently."

Oculus has announced an upcoming pre-order date for 'Oculus Ready PCs' from mainstream manufacturers, and these will be bundled with the Rift VR headset (and everything that comes with it).

(Image credit: Oculus)

“Today we’re excited to introduce the first Oculus Ready PCs from ASUS, Alienware, and Dell! These PCs have been battle tested and certified by Oculus to deliver an incredible Rift experience. We’re also thrilled to announce that starting February 16 at 8am Pacific Time, you can pre-order Oculus Ready PC and Rift bundles from Best Buy, Amazon, and theMicrosoft Store, starting at $1499 USD for a limited time only.

All bundles include an Oculus-certified PC and everything that comes with Rift – the headset, sensor, remote, an Xbox One controller, EVE: Valkyrie Founder’s Pack, and Lucky’s Tale!

Pre-orders for Oculus Ready and Rift bundles will ship in limited quantities to select countries and regions from retail partners starting in April.”

So what kind of gaming system are you getting for $1499? Of the ‘Oculus Ready’ PCs, the baseline specs across the board are an Intel Core i5-6400 processor and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 GPU, along with 8 GB of system memory. This is in keeping with Oculus’ published specifications from last summer: “The recommended PC specification is an NVIDIA GTX 970 or AMD 290, Intel i5-4590, and 8GB RAM."

Including the Rift VR bundle makes the price tag sound a lot nicer for what is otherwise a pretty basic gaming setup, as Rift costs $599 on its own. Still, is it worth $900 for a Core i5/GTX 970 gaming system? Factoring in a Windows license and all parts it's not a terrible value proposition, though most early adopters of this VR tech will likely not be starting completely from scratch.

A quick check on Amazon for the first system bundle listed shows “Currently Unavailable”, as pre-orders begin February 16 at 8:00am PST. You’ll be waiting even longer to have product in hand as the actual release date is April 23.

MSI has released their GT72S G Tobii gaming notebook (first announced way back at Computex), which features NVIDIA G-Sync and eye-tracking technology that promises a more immersive gameplay experience.

“The world’s most advanced gaming laptop, the GT72S G Tobii with eye-tracking technology immerses gamers into a hands-free dimension by allowing them to switch targets in a game, select objects on the floor or even automatically pause a game by simply focusing or looking away.

Available immediately, MSI’s GT72S G Tobii will be bundled with Tom Clancy’s The Division and currently supports a variety of gaming titles, including Assassin’s Creed Syndicate, Assassin’s Creed Rogue, ArmA III, Elite Dangerous and more.”

Ryan took a look at the laptop at CES, and the video is imbedded below:

So how does the eye-tracking work?

“By going through a 15-second set-up process, users can securely log into their computers using a personalized glance; highlight, select or delete items with one look; seamlessly zoom and center maps without scrolling; and even sift through Windows, folders and its applications without lifting a finger.”

The notebook boasts some impressive specs, including:

Tobii Eye Tracking Technology

17.3" Full HD 1920 x 1080 IPS display

6th Generation Intel Core i7 6820HK (2.70 GHz)

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M with 8 GB GDDR5

32 GB Memory

256 GB SSD (PCIe Gen3 x4)

1 TB HDD

BD Burner

Killer Networking

Dimensions: 16.85" x 11.57" x 2.30"; 8.50 lbs

The GT72S G Tobii retails for $2599.99 and is now available with an exclusive launch at Newegg.com, and the laptop includes a free copy of Tom Clancy: The Division.

This laptop was announced at CES, but barely. They have now released full specifications, including options, which are actually quite interesting. The 4K panel, in particular, has a color gamut that fully covers AdobeRGB (100%). This means that, if the hardware and software are properly calibrated, it is compatible with the color spaces that both video and print professionals tend to target. The latter is quite difficult, because magazine publishers actually have a large palette. Even the Wacom Cintiq 22HD only covers around 72% AdobeRGB.

Outside of this, the laptop has one processor choice: a Skylake-based Intel Core i7-6700HQ backed with up to 32GB of DDR4 RAM. There are three choices in GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M, 965M, and 970M. This could be disappointing for those hoping for desktop-class performance, although the 970M is pretty close to a GTX 680. It should handle games like Just Cause 3 and Rainbow Six Siege at around 50-60 FPS in 1080p mode. Basically, you are going to be dropping the 4K resolution down to about 1080p in games, but it's also a laptop and 4K in professional applications is quite nice. It also uses M.2 SSDs with PCIe 3.0 x4 bandwidth that communicates in the NVMe standard. They didn't say which one, or how large, but they claim read speeds of about 2.2GB/s.

They did not state pricing or availability. Its headlining feature is thickness -- just 1.99cm for a 17-inch display. This explains the GPU, but also suggests a premium price.

The only real improvement that you will see, versus the second-highest SKU, is a jump in SSD capacity from 512GB to 1TB. This extra storage will cost roughly 1$/GB, but this is also a very fast NVMe SSD. If 512GB was too small, and you were holding out for availability of the 1TB model, then your wait should (basically) be over.

Although, since you waited this long, you might want to hold off a little longer. Microsoft is supposed to be correcting (some say) severe issues with upcoming firmware. You may want to see whether the problems are solved before dropping two-and-a-half to three grand.

Back in November, Sebastian reviewed the ECS LIVA X2. While the device always had an M.2 slot, its storage options were soldered eMMC chips with capacities of their 32GB or 64GB. They were also pretty slow, with 150MB/s reads and 40MB/s writes in his testing. To exceed that, you need to install your own M.2-based SSD, which was a bit of a difficult process.

According to Links International, via FanlessTech, we are now seeing options that include M.2 SSDs without eMMC. In this case, they are using an Intel-based, 120GB drive. Its signal is M.2 SATA though, which is slower than M.2 PCIe, but a device with this performance characteristic will probably not care about that extra bump in performance. You probably couldn't do much high-bandwidth data crunching with the Braswell processor, and just about every other way on or off of the device is limited to less than or equal to a gigabit of bandwidth. You might be able to find a use case, but it's unlikely to affect anyone interested in this PC.

If you are curious how the various ARM powered boards currently on the market compare to each other then the gang over at Phoronix has a real treat for you. They have assembled a plethora of systems including the ODROID C1+, Raspberry Pi Zero, Raspberry Pi 2, Orange Pi Plus, Orange Pi PC, Banana Pi M2 as well as the Jetson TK1, and Jetson TX1 for comparison purposes. Most of the systems use a Cortex A7 though you will also see an A5 as well as an A57. The tests are varied as it can be difficult to determine what performance should be benchmarked on these systems although some like the OpenSSL test are obvious. Since part of the reason you would choose a low power ARM system is the price, they wrap up with a performance-per-dollar rating to help you choose the best valued system for what you need it to do.

"For those interested in small, low-power ARM single-board computers, up for your viewing pleasure today are benchmarks of several different boards from the Raspberry Pi Zero to the Banana Pi M2."

A true digital equivalent to paper is moving closer to reality with LG’s new flexible OLED display. Still in an early prototype stage, the company had a working flexible display at the Consumer Electronics Show in Los Vegas last week. Measuring 18” diagonally, the OLED display is able to be rolled up and bent with ease while the display remains on.

LG is hoping its bendable display will be used in future televisions that can be rolled out to a massive size and then easily rolled up and stored in a closet or cabinet out of sight when not being used. Of course, this flexible display will also have uses in smaller products like portable computer monitors and tablets in new form factors.

Image credit: BBC.com

Currently, this flexible OLED is not without its limitations. It can be rolled up or bent, but not folded flat. Further, the model on display at CES was only able to be rolled up in a one specific direction (from the bottom left corner to the top right). LG claimed that while it is possible to roll it up in other directions, it is more complicated due to the way the circuitry is positioned and the display is at greater risk of being damaged.

Speaking of damage, BBC reporter Dave Lee notes that the prototype had several noticeable dead pixels likely resulting from repeated bending and excessive handling of the display. This display, it seems, is rather fragile for a display much less one meant to be regularly manipulated.

Image credit: BBC.com

With that said, this prototype is a promising step towards a viable bendable display. OLED technology is really what is making this possible since the pixels themselves are emitting light and LG does not have to worry about integrating a separate backlight. Final products are still a ways out, and there are definitely more roadblocks and kinks to iron out, but I'm interested in seeing where LG and other manufacturers take this technology!

If you're interested in this display, you can find more photos and a hands-on video on this BBC news article.

The newest member of the LIVA family is here, and this time we have a larger footprint but a thinner device with significantly upgraded internals. Teased back in December by ECS, we now have all the details about this new LIVA One.

Powered by an Intel Core i3-6100T, a 35W 2 core/4 thread part that operates at 3.20 GHz, the LIVA One is a big step up from previous versions including the LIVA Core, which used the 4.5W Intel Core M-5Y10c. The new LIVA One also uses M.2 storage and comes with an 80GB Intel SSD in its default configuration, along with 4 GB of DDR3 SoDIMM memory.

Full specifications from ECS (default configuration):

Processor: Intel Core i3-6100T

Chipset: H110

Memory: 4GB SO-DIMM DDR3

Expansion Slot: 1x SATA; supports 2.5” HDD

Storage: Intel 80GB M.2 SSD

Audio: 1x Combo Jack

Networking:

1x Gigabit LAN

1x Wireless Combo Card

USB:

1x USB 3.1 Type-C Port

4x USB 3.0 Ports

Video Output:

1x HDMI Port

1x D-Sub Port

1x DP Port

Wireless: Intel Wi-Fi 802.11ac & Bluetooth 4.0

Dimension: 173 x 176 x 33 mm

Card Reader: MicroSDXC

Adapter Input: AC 100-240V, Output: DC 19V / 4.74A

OS Support:

Windows 7

Windows 8.1

Windows 10

Ubuntu 14.04 LTS

The LIVA One can be configured with up to an Intel Core i7 processor, up to 16 GB of memory, and storage up to 4 TB from the SATA 2.5-inch expansion bay (though no 4 TB drives are yet available at 2.5"). The M.2 storage used for the One's OS drive offers up to 1 GB/s of transfer speeds according to ECS.

ECS says LIVA Core is "one-liter of book size" computer

The LIVA One also offers Intel WiDi, USB 3.1 Type-C, is VESA mountable, and has a native microSDXC reader built in. Pricing and availability was not announced, and the One has yet to appear on Amazon/Newegg.

Zotac had several new ZBOX small form-factor PCs on display at CES, and among these was a new E series system featuring a pairing of an Intel Skylake i3 with an AMD Radeon R9 GPU.

The Radeon in question is the R9 M365X, a discrete mobile part with 640 stream processors, up to 925 MHz core clock, and 2 GB of dedicated 128-bit GDDR5 memory running at up to 1125 MHz (72 GB/s max bandwidth). This is running on a very capable platform powered by a 6th-gen Intel Core i3-6100T, a 35W 2 core/4 thread part running at 3.20 GHz.

Here is a rundown of the specifications:

Processor: Intel Core i3-6100T (Skylake) dual-core, 3.20 GHz

Graphics: AMD Radeon R9 M365X with 2 GB GDDR5

Memory: 2x DDR3L-1600 SoDIMM slots

Storage: 2.5-inch SATA 6.0 Gbps; M.2 SSD slot

USB: 2x USB 3.0; USB 3.0 Type-C

Networking: 2x Gigabit LAN; 802.11ac Wi-Fi; Bluetooth 4.0

Display output: 3x DisplayPort

Good to see a discrete AMD GPU option in one of these small form-factor ZBOX units, as previous E-series models offered only NVIDIA or Intel solutions. Unfortunately no release date or price was announced.

Zotac had a pair of new ZBOX pico systems on display in their suite at CES, with refreshed models featuring updated Intel Cherry Trail processors; up from the previous Bay Trail SoCs.

The two new models have slightly different specs, with a x7-Z8700 SoC (quad-core up to 2.40 GHz) powering the first one pictured (Cherry Trail T4), and a x5-8300 (quad-core up to 1.84 GHz) powering the second (Cherry Trail T3).

Common specifications include:

2 GB LPDDR3

32 GB eMMC

Intel HD graphics

802.11ac wireless, Bluetooth 4.0

MicroSD slot

HDMI output

Windows 10 Home pre-installed

The Cherry Trail T3 version offers only 10/100 Ethernet and USB 2.0, while the Cherry Trail T4 version provides Gigabit Ethernet and USB 3.0 Type-C.

Zotac has a new enthusiast ZBOX in the E series, the E1751; a small form-factor PC with an Intel Core i7 (Broadwell) processor and Iris Pro graphics.

The Intel Core i7-5775R processor is a 65 W 4 core/8 thread part that operates from 3.3 - 3.8 GHz. There are two DDR3L SoDIMM slots supporting 1600/1866 MHz memory (the CPU supports up to 32 GB of RAM), and storage options are limited to SATA/mSATA drives (no M.2 support for the latest NVMe storage).

Specifications:

Processor: Intel Core i7-5775R, quad-core up to 3.8 GHz

Graphics: Intel Iris Pro Graphics 6200

Memory: 2x DDR3L 1600/1866 SoDIMM slots

Storage: 2.5-inch SATA 6.0 Gbps HDD/SSD bay, mSATA 6.0 Gbps slot

Networking: Dual Gigabit LAN, 802.11ac wireless, Bluetooth 4.0

Display output: 2x DisplayPort, DVI-D (single-link)

USB: 3x USB 3.0 ports (1x front, 2x rear)

Audio: 3.5 mm input/output; digital optical audio output

Card reader: SD/SDHC/SDXC

In addition to the kit specified above, the “PLUS” models will include 8 GB of memory and a 128 GB SSD.

While there were both passive and actively-cooled systems on display in Zotac's suite at CES, one of the most interesting was a new fanless computer in a larger form-factor than previous C-series mini-PCs - and it's powered by an 6th-gen Intel Core i5 6300U processor.

“The ZBOX C Series returns with an Intel Skylake CPU while delivering the same silent performance in an all new ZBOX size. More processing power, more entertainment and more productivity is contained within. The new C Series also support USB 3.1 Type-C, perfect for connecting to new gadgets and more bandwidth.”

Here are the specifications:

CPU: Intel Core i5-6300U processor (dual-core up to 3.0 GHz)

GPU: Intel HD Graphics 520

Storage: 1x 2.5-inch SATA 6.0 Gbps bay

RAM: 2x DDR3L-1600 SoDIMM slots (up to 16GB supported)

USB: 2x USB 3.1 Type-C, 2x USB 3.0, 1x USB 2.0

Networking: Dual Gigabit LAN, 802.11ac wireless, Bluetooth 4.0

Video output: DisplayPort, HDMI

Previous 'nano' systems in the C-series have offered VESA mounting, and this new system is no exception. A completely fanless system, this unit was quite heavy in hand but should pose no issue for most larger displays.

On the high end, in terms of Compute Sticks at least, two products are available. At the low end of the two, a Core m3 processor will be present, and Windows 10 will be pre-installed for $399. The high-end variant will have a faster Core m5 processor, but no pre-installed OS for $499. It seems odd that a choice in SoC will be tied to the OS, but I'm guessing the Intel doesn't want to have too many SKUs for a potentially low-volume product.

Regardless of the above choice, both Core M-level Compute Sticks, above, have 4GB of RAM, 64GB of eMMC storage, HDMI, and 3x USB ports. They also have Wireless AC and Bluetooth 4.1 for wireless connectivity.

Beyond the above two products, a low end, Intel Atom-based Compute Stick is available. Just one SKU will be available, though. It has the same Intel Atom x5-Z8300 that was present on the Zotac PC Stick. It also has 2GB of RAM, 32GB of eMMC storage, HDMI, and 2x USB ports. It has Wireless AC, but Bluetooth 4.0 (instead of the Core M version's 4.1). It will be available for $159.

Release dates are not announced, but the Atom-based Compute Sticks are in production, and the Core M-based one will enter production next month.

Zotac is one of the most memorable manufacturers of mini PCs. We have been highlighting their tiny creations since at least 2011, which was as far back as our site's Zotac tag went. At the time, we appreciated them as media center PCs, but interest seems to have picked up substantially since then. They are also appreciated in the fanless community, because silent and tiny devices are even more novel.

They had several products at CES, which span the gamut of uniqueness. Some are fanless, others are in a PC stick form factor, and other ZBOXes are there, too. Liliputing went through a few different models, and gave a pretty detailed discussion of the PC Stick, the ZBOX Pico (T3 and T4), and the ZBOX C series. Be sure to check the site out for a more elaborate look.

The fanless model had a pretty interesting upgrade, though. With a Core i5-6300U, it has a lot of performance for something like an audio recording PC, especially if it's maxed out with 16 GB of RAM. The Intel HD 520 is a bit light otherwise though, but it could play most new games at low settings (~720p). On the other hand, it has two USB 3.1 Type-C ports, as well as a few regular USB 3.0 ports.

The PC stick is definitely low powered, though. It has an Intel Atom x5-Z8300, which could really do without the “Z” in the model name. It has 2GB of RAM, which should be sufficient for those applications, and 32GB of on-device storage, which is better than many other offerings. It even has a MicroSD card slot on top of the internal storage.

The Tech Report has a bit of a soft spot for what they refer to as Breadbox builds, aka SFF systems and recently one of their members built a brand new system. Hidden in the tiny EVGA Hadron Hydro case is a watercooled i5-6600K, a tiny Gigabyte GTX 970 GV-N970IXOC-4GD, 16GB of DDR4 and two OCZ Vector 180 SSDs all installed on a Gigabyte GA-Z170N-Gaming 5 mini-ITX board. The installation went well though the EVGA Hadron Hydro has a bit of a personality to it which you can read about in the full article right here.

"Our Editor-in-Chief has always had a soft spot for Mini-ITX systems with big performance, and Gigabyte, OCZ, EVGA, G.Skill, and Logitech were happy to help him build a Breadbox system with some high-octane parts. Here's how he put it all together."

EVGA has announced a gaming laptop (yes, EVGA), and the company says this computer was designed completely in-house.

Highlights from EVGA:

100% EVGA in-house design from the ground up

GPU, CPU and Memory Superclock support with software and GUI BIOS

4K ready (G-SYNC and non G-SYNC)

Unibody design with 1.05 inch (2.65 cm) thickness including RJ45

USB 3.1 Type-C support

The SC17 offers a 4K display with G-Sync (a first for laptops at this resolution) and features the company's "Superclocked" branding for the main components, with a 2.7 GHz Intel Core i7 processor running at 3.8 GHz, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M GPU clocked at 1200 MHz, and G.SKill DDR4 2133 memory overclocked to 2666 MHz.

The known specs:

17.3-inch 4K G-Sync display

Intel Core i7 6820HK Unlocked CPU

NVIDIA GTX980M with overclocking support

16GB 2666 MHz memory

256 GB M.2 RAID-0 (2 x 128 GB SSDs)

2 TB storage drive

USB 3.1 Type-C

FHD front camera

Synaptics Clickpad 1.5

Other than the promise that this laptop will ship at some point in 2016, we don't have much to go by as far as pricing or availability is concerned just yet.

First up on the meeting block with the official opening of CES 2016 was Intel and its NUC and Compute Stick division. You should remember the Intel Compute Stick as a HDMI-enabled mini-computer in the shape of a slightly over sized USB drive. The first iteration of it was based on Bay Trail Atom processor and though we could see the benefits of such a device immediately, the follow through on the product lacked in some key areas. Performance was decent but even doing high bit rate video streaming seemed like a stretch and the Wi-Fi integration left something to be desired.

Today though Intel is announcing three new Compute Stick models. One is based on Cherry Trail, the most recent Atom processor derivative, and two using the Intel Core m processors based on the Skylake architecture.

Old Compute Stick on top, new on the bottom

The Intel STK1AW32SC uses the Cherry Trail Atom x5 processor, the x5-Z8300 quad-core CPU with a 1.44 GHz base clock and a 1.84 GHz Turbo clock. This CPU only has a 2 watt SDP so power consumption remains in line with the design we saw last year. Other specifications include an updated 802.11ac 2x2 wireless data connection (nice!), 32GB of internal eMMC storage, 2GB of DDR3-1600 memory and Bluetooth 4.0 support. Intel claims this configuration will offer about 2x the graphics performance of the previous model though CPU changes will be less noticeable. Still, we should see much improved 1080p streaming video performance without the dropped frames that were a problem last generation.

For connectivity, Intel has moved from a single USB port to a pair, one USB 3.0 and one USB 2.0. There is still a requirement for external power via the micro USB port on the side.

The design is definitely more refined and feels higher quality than the original Compute Stick concept. This model is shipping today and should have an MSRP of $159 on the market.

More interesting are the pair of new Core-based Compute Sticks. There are two different models, one with a Core m3-6Y30 and another with a Core m5-6Y57 and vPro support. These devices get a nice bump to 64GB of internal eMMC storage, which Intel promises has better performance to take advantage of the USB 3.0 ports, along with 4GB of DDR3-1833 memory to keep things running smoothly.

The processor differences are noteworthy here – the Core m5-6Y57 has a sizeable advantage in peak boost clock, hitting 2.8 GHz versus only 2.2 GHz on the Core m3-6Y30. Base clocks are 1.1 GHz and 900 MHz, respectively, so I am curious how much time these devices will spend in the higher clocked modes in this form factor. As with the original Compute Stick, all three of the new models include an active fan cooling system.

The build quality on the Core variants of the Compute Stick are very similar to the Atom Cherry Trail model, though with a couple of unique changes to the I/O. On the device itself you have just a single USB 3.0 port and a single USB 3.0 Type-C connection used for both power and data.

On the wall power connector though, Intel has smartly integrated a USB 3.0 hub, giving us two more USB ports available at the wall, moving data to the Compute Stick itself through the Type-C cable. It’s really neat design idea and I can easily see this moving toward more connectivity on the power device in the future – maybe additional displays, audio outputs, etc.

The STK2M3W64CC, the Core m3-6Y30 variant that has Windows 10 pre-installed, will MSRP for $399. A version without Windows (STK2M364CC) will sell for around $299. Finally, the Core m5-6Y57 model, the STK2M3W64CC, is going to be $499, without an OS, targeted at the business markets. All three will be shipping in February.

We have a Cherry Trail Compute Stick in our hands already for testing but I am very curious to see how both the Core m3 and Core m5 version of the device improve on it with performance and usability. It’s very possible that these 4.5 watt parts are going to be more than enough for a large portion of the market, making truly headless computing a viable solution for most workloads.

Along with the laptops comes three full sized prebuilt systems and a mini-PC at MSI's display booth. Most are customizable, the price you pay depends on the components you choose and the case you prefer, two of which have picked up awards.

First we have the Vortex Gaming Tower which as you can see from the picture is not configured like a normal PC at all. The cylindrical shape is 6.5 litres, about 1.7 gallons which is an odd measurement but does mean the case is rather small. Don't let that fool you about the interior components, it comes with two GTX 980's in SLI and their proprietary 360° Silent Storm Cooling.

The Gaming 27XT comes with an impressive and almost unique feature, support for an external GPU. It is an All-in-One PC, with a 144Hz display and is likely powered by Intel's HD graphics if you do not choose to mount a GPU on the back of the display. The placement should also help keep that GPU cool by separating its airflow from the rest of the components. Nahimic Audio Enhancer and a Killer Lan NIC come standard.

The familiar Nightblade Series gains two new members, the Nightblade X2 and MI2. The systems both use a Skylake motherboard with the X2 being compatible with cards up to the GTX 980ti and the MI2 stopping at the 970. As you should expect both systems use Military Class 4 components and come with a variety of tools from MSI.

Last comes the tiny Cubi 2 Plus system, competition for the NUC and ZBOX. It will be powered by a 6th Gen Skylake-S processor so it will be more than capable of handling duties as a media server. More importantly it has support for both an M.2 SSD and a 2.5" SSD ensuring you are not forced into using a drive you would rather not have. You can also see four USB ports on the front which means plenty of room for expansion even with a mouse and keyboard connected.

Keep your eyes peeled for more detailed information as the team on the ground visits the MSI booth in person.

While many of our readers that are interested in high-end desktop PCs will typically assemble their own, a handful might like to get someone else to deal with the assembly and support. That's perfectly valid. You will typically spend a little more, especially if you value your free time as free labor, but that might be worth it for some.

The ASUS ROG GT51 gaming desktop PC will be one such option. It places itself at the high end, to say the least. It has the Skylake-based Intel Core i7-6700K paired with “up to” a pair of NVIDIA GeForce TITAN X graphics cards. ASUS, like their individual components, support overclocking on the device with their tuning software. The machine also has a USB 3.1 Type-C port, which is highly sought after, even in the DIY motherboard space.

Again, no pricing or availability. I expect the top-of-the-line version will be pretty expensive though, especially with two TITAN X GPUs. It also might be a bit much, since the video cards have been out for almost a year and Pascal might arrive at any time. It might be worth it if they offer other options, like the 980 Ti, depending on your specific needs.